


i just want to live under the weight of your love | ringsy

by lockedinmybody



Category: Unter Uns
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Mention of deceased family members
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 08:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14185107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lockedinmybody/pseuds/lockedinmybody
Summary: Easy realises he doesn't know what to do for Ringo's birthday, and he's surprised to find out their friends are convinced Ringo doesn't want to do anything.





	i just want to live under the weight of your love | ringsy

"So it's Ringo's birthday tomorrow." Easy says out of the blue, sitting at the table with Tobias opposite him.  
"Tobias." Easy urges, leaning forward as Tobias stays quiet.  
"Hmm." He hums, not looking up from his laptop screen.  
Easy pushes the screen down, closing the laptop and startling Tobias. "Hey, I was looking at that!"  
"Yes, and I was talking to you." Easy says, unimpressed. "It's your brother's birthday tomorrow."

Tobias stands up and walks over to a kitchen cabinet. "What do you want me to do about that."  
Easy rolls his eyes. "Do you have a plan? Did you buy him a gift? Have you given any thought to how he might want to spend the day?"  
Tobias turns around to face Easy, eating crisps out of a bag and leaning against the counter. "Do you know how many of my birthdays he has forgotten?"  
Easy presses his lips together. "Do you know that your disinterested behaviour towards him keeps you two exactly where you are instead of maybe developing a healthy relationship?"

Tobias pulls a face and shrugs. "He doesn't like me and I sure as hell don't like him. You know that."  
He starts licking his fingers and Easy just looks at him for a moment, wondering how his best friend could treat his brother like this and be okay with it.  
Easy shakes his head at him and stands up, leaving the apartment.

When he walks into Schiller, Ellie is standing behind the bar and Paco is sitting on a stool, chatting with her whilst she washes the dishes.  
"Hey guys." Easy smiles as he walks up to them.  
They both greet him and Ellie asks if he would like a coffee, to which Easy nods his head.  
He sits down in the chair next to Paco and taps his arm.  
"What is the plan for tomorrow?" Surely Paco would have made an effort to think about something for Ringo's birthday.  
Paco raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"  
Easy blinks. "Ringo's birthday?"

Paco's face clears up. "Oh right. We don't have a plan." Easy's eyes widen. "What? Why not?"  
Ellie turns her head. "Ringo doesn't want to celebrate his birthday."  
Easy squints. "Are you assuming or did you actually ask?" Ellie's face softens and she smiles at him.  
"I know you probably want to make sure he has the best day ever, but birthdays are a bit painful for Ringo. They have been for years."  
Easy's face creases in concern as he stares off into the distance. Ellie places a hand on his arm. "Go talk to him."

When he walks into the apartment Ringo is coming down the spiral staircase. "Hey, I was just coming to find you." Ringo smiles.  
When Easy doesn't respond, his face falls. "Is something wrong?" Easy shakes his head.  
"No, no. I just-" Easy sighs.  
"Do you want me to stay away tomorrow?" 

Ringo frowns. "Why?"  
Easy rubs a hand over his face. "I've been talking to our friends, to your brother. They all seem to have this idea that you don't like your birthday."  
Ringo's eyes glaze over a little, become more distant, but he stays silent.  
"I realised that," Easy takes a breath and shuts his eyes for a moment, "that a birthday without your family around you is tough." He sees Ringo wince.  
"And so, I respect your feelings. If you want me to stay away tomorrow, that's okay." 

Ringo looks at him, and Easy sees a shimmer of moisture in his eyes. He takes a step closer, and as Ringo doesn't make a move to get away from him, he stands on his toes and hugs Ringo.  
Ringo tucks his head in the crook of Easy's neck, and Easy holds the back of his head. After a moment, Ringo pulls back.  
"If it's okay with you, I'd like you to stay over." Easy looks surprised, but he smiles. "Of course."  
"I don't want to wake up alone." Ringo whispers. Easy grabs his hand. "It's okay."

***

"Good morning." Easy softly closes the door behind him, putting two mugs of coffee on the nightstand. He sits down on the edge of the bed, and Ringo shuffles over to him and puts his head in Easy's lap.  
"Are they all in there?" Ringo groans, burying his face in the crease between Easy's legs. Easy laughs, rubbing a hand over Ringo's back.  
"They are, but they're not waiting for you with gifts and balloons, don't worry."  
They lay like that for a while, and then Easy checks his watch.  
"Why don't you grab that coffee and join me in the living room." Easy says casually. "Do I have to?" Ringo grumbles as Easy opens the door.  
"Yes." He grins.  
Ringo walks into the living room, coffee in hand, and Paco and Ellie are also having breakfast at the table.  
There's different types of bread and pastries on the table, and there's a laptop at one of the chairs.

Ringo looks at Easy, who just smiles at him. "Why don't you have a seat." Easy pulls the chair back and Ringo looks incredibly suspicious as he sits down.  
He sits and looks around the table for a moment but nobody gives him any clues.  
Easy looks from Ringo to the laptop and back again, and so Ringo slowly opens the laptop. He logs in, and there's a Skype window open.  
His face creases in confusion but then there's someone calling. He accepts the call immediately, and Kira's face pops up.  
"Hey birthday boy!" She says, a wide grin on her face.  
"Kira! Hey!" Ringo grins back at her, and Easy sees how Ringo instantly relaxes.  
Easy sits down at the table and eats, watching Ringo animatedly talk to his sister. It fills him with joy to see the boy he loves so much, be so free in his happiness.

As the call comes to and end, Ringo waves at the camera and closes the screen with a smile on his face. He turns to Easy. "Thank you."  
Easy smiles softly. Paco and Ellie both turn to Ringo. "Happy birthday." Ellie walks over and hugs him sideways, and Easy sees a faint smile on his face.  
"Are you free today?" Ringo asks. Easy nods. "Yeah, I took the day off."  
"You wanna hang around here?" Ringo asks, looking as if he feels a little embarrassed to ask. Easy looks at him fondly. "Of course."

They spend most of the day in Ringo's bed, caught up in each other as they watch movies and occassionally make out.  
Easy kisses Ringo's cheek and sits up. "So I did get you a gift."  
Ringo raises both his eyebrows. "If you bought me condoms and you're using that as a come-on line, I'm breaking up with you." Easy snorts.  
"It's not that, it's just..." He hesitates, and Ringo grabs his hand. "Hey, I'm sure I'll like it. Because it's from you."  
Easy smiles softly and reaches under Ringo's bed, holding a rectangular wrapped gift in his hand.  
"It's okay if you hate it." He says as Ringo starts pulling away the paper. Ringo rolls his eyes. "You don't have to be so scared you know. It's just a gift."

Easy can feel his heartbeat quicken as Ringo tears off the last remains of the paper.  
He can't read Ringo's expression, and it worries him. "If it's too much we can throw it away, but I just noticed they don't have a place anywhere in your room, and I thought maybe you would-" Easy babbles, but Ringo leans forward and captures his lips in a kiss.  
He stays close, clearly touched by Easy's gift and his voice is thick with emotion as he speaks. "Thank you."  
Easy nods shyly. "You like the frame?"

Ringo skates his fingers over the edges of the frame, holding a photo of him, Kira and his parents. It wasn't a staged photo, just one that randomly got taken at a wedding somewhere.  
They're all listening to someone off screen, and Easy had picked it because it looked the most like a family photo.  
Ringo and Kira are standing close together, their parents behind them, and Ringo's face is flushed, the black tie around his neck slightly loosened.  
Easy thought he looked beautiful.

"I do like the frame." He softly drags a fingertip over the glass covering his parents. "I also love the photo."  
He looks up from the photo to look Easy in the face.  
"I never put up a picture because I was scared it would hurt too much to look at them but not have them around." He whispers.  
Easy hums softly.  
"I think I can now." Ringo says, looking over at his bookshelf. "I want them here."  
Easy smiles and leans over, brushing a kiss to Ringo's lips. "Happy birthday."


End file.
